Tottenham 2-3 West Ham: Player ratings as Spurs and Hammers play out thriller in Australia

Tottenham Hotspur kicked off the Ange Postecoglou era with an entertaining 3-2 loss to London rivals West Ham United.

The Hammers were pinned back for much of the 90 minutes but were able to pick apart Spurs' prevalent defensive frailties from set pieces and on the counter attack.

Postecoglou will have been happy to see his side show their ability and hunger to play on the ball, with the north Londoners able to take away plenty of positives in defeat.

Tottenham carved out the first chance of the game when Sergio Reguilon played in Manor Solomon and he squared for the advancing Oliver Skipp, but the ball was blocked away from danger by the onrushing Lukasz Fabianski and West Ham survived an early scare.

Solomon was again the chief creator for Spurs' next opening, finding Harry Kane from a similar angle just inside the left of the box, but he too was thwarted by the alert Fabianski.

At the other end, Jarrod Bowen had a close-range shot blocked by Japhet Tanganga before Danny Ings broke the deadlock. Spurs failed to clear a corner and the ball fell back to Bowen on the right wing, with his cross nodded in by Ings after he evaded Reguilon.

With only 23 minutes on the clock, Tottenham found themselves two down. Guglielmo Vicario sliced the ball out for a corner after attempting to play from the back, and Divin Mubama headed in at the near post.

James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Japhet Tanganga and Cristian Romero went close as Spurs' onslaught continued, and there was still time for Fabianski to save from Solomon before the interval - Bowen also drawing a save out of Vicario.

Postecoglou made wholesale changes at the break and his side's dominance continued, with Richarlison's low cross for Ivan Perisic blocked behind by Emerson Palmieri almost immediately after the interval.

The Brazilian then hit the outside of the post before Lo Celso finally broke through, volleying through the legs of Fabianski after Davinson Sanchez flicked on Perisic's corner. Two minutes later, Spurs were deservedly level - debutant Destiny Udogie glancing home from another set piece.

They weren't level for long however as West Ham retook the lead when Spurs ceded possession in midfield and Pablo Fornals set Gianluca Scamacca racing away - the Italian holding off the runs of Sanchez and Ben Davies to slide under Brandon Austin.

Richarlison twice went close to finding a second Spurs equaliser but ultimately he nor his teammates could find another way through and West Ham clung on to claim the victory.

Tottenham Hotspur player ratings (4-3-3)

First half XI

GK: Gugliemo Vicario - 3/10 - Flapped at both goals and passed the ball out of play for the corner which led to West Ham's second.

RB: Pedro Porro - 6/10 - Advanced high up the pitch as a winger to stretch play and usually had the beating of his man.

CB: Cristian Romero - 6/10 - Suits Postecoglou's ideals of aggressive and front-foot defending, often pressing high to win the ball back.

CB: Japhet Tanganga - 5/10 - Entrusted and empowered to try and build from the back, though showed his rustiness at being asked of such a role.

LB: Sergio Reguilon - 4/10 - The Spaniard's crossing was decent and he suited driving down the outside as opposed to being asked to come infield. Lost the run of Ings for the opener.

DM: Yves Bissouma - 7/10 - Took control of the midfield battle and was able to show off his excellent range of passing.

CM: Oliver Skipp - 6/10 - Pushed forward and was usually crashing the box as a late runner. Spurs' links to Conor Gallagher look more plausible now.

CM: James Maddison - 5/10 - Took a while to get going but demonstrated his ingenuity when playing high up the pitch with Kane and Kulusevski.

RW: Dejan Kulusevski - 5/10 - Got into promising positions, but as was the case last season was reluctant to pull the trigger.

CF: Harry Kane - 5/10 - Understandably lacking in match sharpness and like Maddison didn't show his true worth until late in the first half.

LW: Manor Solomon - 7/10 - Eager to get involved and the chief creator of Spurs' early chances.

Second half XI

GK: Brandon Austin - 5/10 - Didn't have a lot to do other than pick the ball out of the net following Scamacca's goal.

RB: Emerson Royal - 6/10 - Looked at the very least comfortable in possession, which is already a step-up from the Antonio Conte era.

CB: Davinson Sanchez - 6/10 - Also showed bravery on the ball and grabbed an assist for Lo Celso, though was caught out for West Ham's third.

CB: Ben Davies - 6/10 - Suited playing from the back but was similarly lacking in pace when backtracking.

LB: Destiny Udogie - 8/10 - Whether going inside or out, the Italian proved he can suit the demands of a Postecoglou system. Beautiful header to level the scores.

DM: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 6/10 - Lost possession leading to Scamacca's finish, though was otherwise solid.

CM: Pape Sarr - 6/10 - Showed glimpses of promise without setting the world alight.

CM: Giovani Lo Celso - 9/10 - Dominated the second half, advancing the ball, creating various chances and getting on the scoresheet.

RW: Alfie Devine - 6/10 - Like Sarr demonstrated that he has the technical ability to play against such opposition.

CF: Richarlison - 6/10 - Carved out several openings but as was the case last season lacked composure in front of goal.

LW: Ivan Perisic - 7/10 - A useful outlet with his wicked crossing and calmness in tight spaces.

Manager

Ange Postecoglou - 7/10 - Tottenham have already shown they have the capabilities of dominating the ball and playing fast football, but they need to work on defending set pieces and transitions (which is nothing new).

West Ham United player ratings (4-4-2)

GK: Lukasz Fabianski (9); RB: Levi Laing (5), CB: Kurt Zouma (6), CB: Angelo Ogbonna (5), LB: Emerson Palmieri (5); RM: Jarrod Bowen (8), CM: Flynn Downes (6), CM: Freddie Potts (5), LM: Pablo Fornals (5); CF: Divin Mubama (7), CF: Danny Ings (7)

SUBS: Gianluca Scamacca (7), Kamarai Simon-Swyer (5), Daniel Chesters (5), Luizao (N/A), George Earthy (N/A)

Manager: David Moyes (6)

Player of the match - Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham United)